About Us

The Coalition for Public Access (CPA) is a group of citizens who are adamantly opposed to any new Wilderness Areas in Esmeralda, Douglas, Lyon, and Mineral Counties, Nevada.  For more information visit the About Us page.

Burbank Canyon to become a WILDERNESS area in Smith Valley

CPA has written two eAlerts regarding this action:

Burbank Canyon to become a WILDERNESS area in Smith Valley (December 1, 2011)

Burbank Canyon to become a WILDERNESS - UPDATE (January 8, 2012)

Burbank Canyon to become a WILDERNESS - UPDATE #2 - TIME FOR ACTION (January 31, 2012)

CPA To Join BRC As Intervenor To Defend Open-Access

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has filed a lawsuit (CBD's Press Release) in a Federal District Court challenging the recently adopted Travel Management Plan (TMP) for the Bridgeport Ranger District (BRD).  The lawsuit alleges the BRD violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, two Presidential Executive Orders, and certain implementing regulations.  The CBD wants the court to declare that the BRD did violate various laws, orders and procedures and to declare the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and ROD to be invalid ordering the BRD to start over.  Also the CBD wants the court to order the BRD to immediately close all 220 miles of newly added routes and any other routes the CBD specifically requests be closed during the court proceedings.  Lastly, the CBD wants the court to award CBD its costs, attorney fees and other relief the court deems appropriate.

The outcome of this, and similar lawsuits the CBD has filed in recent months, is very important as they seek to essentially close the forests to motorized use.  CPA has met with the Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) and representatives of other national and local open-access groups and recreation businesses to discuss the potential outcome of CBD's lawsuit.  The possibility for a disastrous outcome is significant!

CPA has decided to provide financial support to BRC to file for Intervenor status with the Federal Court.  However, CPA alone cannot meet the financial requirements to proceed and that is why we need your help.  We need you to Donate (no donation is too small) to ensure that you have a voice in the outcome of this lawsuit.  Please make a secure credit card or PayPal donation (or to send a check).  We understand the difficulty many families have during this period of economic stress but we simply must fight this attempt by the CBD to close our roads and trails.

Regardless of how you or your family recreates this lawsuit can directly result in reducing or effectively eliminating your ability to do so.  Almost all forms of recreation require motorized access to trailheads, your favorite camping spot, or just driving in and exploring your public lands so without roads you can see the problem this might cause you.  The TMP process identified about 650 miles of existing routes that had not been added to the existing 1,290 miles of "inventoried" routes and recommended 220 miles of these routes be added to the "system" and remain open for motorized use. CBD wants all 650 miles of routes closed and additionally wants all existing routes that cross perennial or intermittent streams or are within 300 feet of perennial streams or within 150 feet of intermittent streams.  As an example, the road through the Desert Creek area would be closed and recreation would be limited to non-motorized use only!

This lawsuit will most likely be resolved through a court ordered negotiated settlement between the litigants - the Forest Service and the CBD.  To have a "seat at the table", as well as a voice in the courtroom, we must have "Intervenor" status.  Without this we are simply spectators.  Please join the fight - make a donation today.